Hi, I'm planning to take my LRSM piano several months from now and would kindly like to ask for advice regarding my repertoire...

1. Bach: Partita no. 2 in C minor
2. Mozart: Sonata no. 15 op. 533/494 in F (complete)
3. Chopin: Scherzo no. 1 op. 20 in B minor
4. Prokofiev: Sonata no. 3 in A minor op. 28

I'm kind of worried because there are 2 sonatas in my repertoire and some pieces in my repertoire might be overplayed esp. the Chopin and Prokofiev selection... please help... thanks.

That looks OK to me provided the timing is right

Actually I have a question- I'm afraid I can't advice because I'm not at your level yet

I undertand that an 'A' level requires a general programme but 'L' would need a specialised one. I thought specialization meant you need to specialise in one era/ one composer/one style- not sure, but your current programme seems to have one each from a wide range of eras, which is what you would probably go for in your "A" as well.

Do you know what they mean by "specialized "? I don't but as long as you've checked this aspect thats fine. I've seen some posts where people are working on just two eras with more pieces from each era to create depth for an L level Dip.

From the regulations:

"In your choice of repertoire, you should aim to present a balanced programme that includes a contrast of repertoire from at least two distinct musical eras. Variety of mood and tempo should also be a guiding factor in the construction of the programme."

Since I presented four distinct musical eras and the minimum requirement is at least two, do u think it'll be all right to present four since candidates should aim to present a balanced programme, or should I just do two musical eras with two pieces per era? confused... ...

I still think you would be OK with that programme.

In terms of 2 sonatas, I don't know the Prokofiev that well but I would say that a lot of post romantic sonatas are different to the classical sense of the word (Scriabin and Medtner single movement sonatas come to mind). I would be prepared to be asked why you chose 2 of them, so would thus be inclined to choose something significantly contrasting to a classical sonata.

In terms of Chopin/Prokofiev overplayed. The Scherzo 2 is the culprit in that set so 1 should be ok. Likewise Prokofiev 7 is more overplayed than 3.

I thought specialised areas were more FRSM?

My main advice would be to play to your strengths. If you play all of those well, then great, go for it. If you, for example, only added Prokofiev for a post romantic piece, then you're better off scrapping it for another Baroque/Classical/Romantic work.

I think the difference at LRSM/FRSM is that the performance standard is so high that they expect candidates to play to their strengths rather than satisfy a period requirement. Example, my strength is post 1900 repertoire so were I ever to take the exam I would have some Debussy/Ravel, some Albeniz/Granados and a living composer. Plenty of contrast within the past 112 years, plenty of room to add pieces from an earlier period and biased towards what I play well.

I hope some of that has been helpful